It announced Friday that department officials had issued an “authority to proceed” that formally commences the extradition process against Meng, who along with her company has been charged with fraud, violating international sanctions and other offences in the U.S.

The Chinese tech giant pled not guilty to all charges in a Seattle courthouse on Thursday. The trial is set to start in March 2020.

Meng’s arrest by Canadian authorities late last year in Vancouver sparked a heated diplomatic dispute with China, which subsequently detained two Canadians in the country on national security grounds.

Canada and many of its allies, including the U.S., have called on China to immediately release the detained Canadians.

China, though, has argued that Meng was detained for strictly political purposes, but the Trudeau government said Canadian authorities were simply respecting international obligations by responding to an extradition request from the U.S.

In a statement, the Justice Department said it launched the extradition process after a “thorough and diligent review of the evidence.” It said it’s “satisfied” that the necessary requirements to start the formal process, laid out in the Extradition Act, have been met and there is “sufficient evidence to be put before an extradition judge.”

The B.C. Supreme Court will meet on Wednesday to schedule a date for the extradition hearing, where Crown attorneys will present their submissions.